This is a ten-minute take on a version of (cold) sesame noodles, although at ten minutes they’re still hot!
It’s all about the sauce – that blend of sweet and spicy, sesame melded with peanut butter, tasting better than the individual flavors alone.
Hands-on time: 10 minutes.
Total time: 10 minutes, or longer to cool
Tools:
Microwave
Two quart-size microwave bowls, or one plus a microwaveable coffee cup
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
3 Tbsp Creamy Peanut Butter, or Crunchy if that’s the texture you want
2 Tbsp Canola Oil
1 Tbsp Honey, or 1 ½ tsp sugar
1 – 2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 dash (1/4 tsp) Cayenne Pepper
1 Pkg (any flavor) Ramen Noodles
Optional:
½ tsp toasted sesame seeds
2 tsp chopped parsley
both for garnish
Method:
Put noodles (throw away the “flavor” packet) into bowl, and cover with water. Place in microwave for 2 minutes, or until just boiling (about 2:25 in mine). Be real careful removing it from the microwave. The noodles, and especially the water, are boiling hot!
Pull noodles out of microwave and set them aside. You’ll drain them after about five minutes.
To make the sauce, place all into bowl / coffee cup. Microwave for about 20 seconds, mix with fork or spoon, nuke it another 10 seconds, mix again, repeat until smooth. Meanwhile, …
Keep checking the noodles and when they are cooked as you like them, drain/strain. (I just hold the mass back with a fork and tip the bowl to lose most of the water.
Sauce is ready when it is uniformly mixed. It should be the consistency of heavy cream, or gravy. If it’s too thick, add some more (maybe a Tbsp) sesame oil, or canola, or both; if too thin, add a teaspoon or two of peanut butter.
Once sauce is ready, add it to noodles and toss gently. Garnish with sprinkling of sesame seeds and chopped parsley, if you want to make it a little fancy. That also adds a bit of additional texture to the dish. Leave to cool a bit if you want. Or in the fridge for later. They are excellent hot or cold!
I like things spicy, so for my own I add a heavy 2 tsp of crushed red pepper, and about ½ tsp of cayenne. I also replaced about half of the canola oil with hot chili oil, and was really pleased with both the bite and the flavor.
Healthier version: add one or two sliced carrots to the noodle water, and or place baby spinach on noodles before adding sauce. Spinach will wilt in the hot sauce as you toss the mixture together.
Or, do what I did in the picture, and put the noodles on a bed of baby spinach and top with tomato wedges. That was really good!
If you’ve got bean sprouts and or baby corn kicking around, you can add those too. Get creative! Noodles alone get boring quickly, even with this tasty sauce!
Backstory:
Fiction:
I was starving! I rummaged through my supplies, and found only peanut butter, Ramen noodles, and some sesame oil. As I dug deeper, I found crushed red pepper flakes and cayenne pepper. The broken stove top snickered at me. I looked at it, and said, “Who needs you, anyway?” Because… the microwave still worked.
As the noodles heated up in the microwave, and the flavor packet languished in the trash, I mixed together the other materials. The aroma that rose to my nose was reminiscent of cold sesame noodle takeout. Perfect!
As the noodles finished cooking in the water, the sauce mix went into the microwave to melt and blend. With a moderate amount of mixing, the sauce was ready. Tossed with the drained noodles, it was takeout fit for a king.
The Real story:
One night I was looking for something to make, and had promised myself I’d make something with Ramen. I really wanted a cheap and quick way to get a filling, tasty meal. Something along the lines of homemade fast food. Ten to fifteen minutes, microwave only. Something you can slam together for dinner, or for a midnight snack. Did I say something tasty?
I’ve made this a number of times, tweaked a few things. This is an easy recipe that loves to be modified.
Like I said, I love sesame noodles! And these are a great, quick mimic. The sauce tastes reminiscent of cold sesame noodles – or identical to it for some. I like cold sesame noodles, so wanted to make a version of it in quick form.
The Ramen package says it is 2 servings. Yeah, right. Nope, one package per person for this dish!
After making it a couple of times, I wanted to add a bit of nutrition, so I added baby spinach (which wilts beautifully) and then carrots. It stays tasty.
The first time I made this, it took me about 20 minutes. By the third time, I was down to a flat ten minutes, without feeling like I was rushed. And that even included slicing the carrots at the beginning, and adding the spinach in the middle.
You’re bringing the water to boiling and then letting things cook in that water for about 5 minutes – noodles, carrot slices, whatever you’re adding. So slice it thin… the thicker it is, the crunchier it will be.
Enjoy!
The Bearded Cooksman 